Cellular communications systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Cellular phones allow users to place and receive voice calls most anywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology has increased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. For example, many cellular devices now incorporate personal digital assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, etc. Moreover, such multi-function devices may also allow users to wirelessly access electronic mail (email) messages and the Internet via a cellular network.
With all of the functionality that a user can perform with such devices, calls made by users, and the overhead operations required of the device, battery life may be a significant concern for cellular phone manufacturers. For example, the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)/Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UTMS) (i.e., 3G) systems require handsets to perform measurements of Receive Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of neighboring base station on a periodic basis (e.g., every 30 seconds). These operations are even required when a device is in a “sleep” or power saving mode.
Various approaches have been implemented for attempting to reduce power consumption in mobile cellular devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,918 to Heiman et al. discloses a communications network including a cellular local area wireless network which includes a plurality of access points connected to a housed computer and each other, and a plurality of mobile units. Each mobile unit is arranged for association with an access point. The mobile units are also arranged to periodically scan for and identify the most eligible access point for association on the basis of the criteria of best quality signal strength and loading factor. To identify when mobile units are being removed from a predetermined area, access points having directional antennae are situated adjacent exit points to detect when mobile units are in a vicinity. Each mobile unit may include paging facilities, including the capability of transmitting information in a coded form known both to the unit and to a host, and power-saving facilities.
Despite the existence of such systems, further approaches and techniques for mitigating the power consumption of handheld device operations may be desirable to extend mobile device battery life.